THE HORROR (a.k.a. Autumn’s End) **** U.S.A. 2015 Dir: Jeremy J. White III 74 mins
Still reeling from the loss of their parents, Malcolm (Raymond Creamer) and Isabel Rademacher (Callie Ott) head to their family’s lake house for a weekend with their friends. What starts as a fun trip is cut short when Malcolm and Isabel ultimately push their companions away. Abandoned, Malcolm and Isabel’s isolation is exploited by two masked assailants who invade their home. Malcolm kills one of them in self-defense, but becomes obsessed with tracking his escaped partner down. A year later, Isabel is attempting to put her life back together but memories of the invasion cast a long shadow. As Malcolm continues his hunt for the second assailant, Isabel becomes aware of the darkness that he carries inside and, while he claims to be protecting her, she worries that he may be the biggest threat of all.
This indie film is very much a character and dialogue driven film focusing on Callie Ott’s character Isabel and Raymond Creamer’s character Malcolm. A surprisingly well shot and directed film by first time director Jeremy J. White III that manages to capture the tension of Malcolm slowly throughout as he is driven mad by his own obsession of finding a mask his assailants were wearing on the night of the attack. Raymond Creamer has made a striking debut performance that brings memories of many a madman character in film and not relying on over the top expressions or blood, but just uses his own mannerisms and they way he does stuff throughout the film to bring you the uneasiness in the character. The way Callie Ott’s character describes her brother to her psychiatrist really helps the film move along and gives you more of an idea behind his madness. Great script and casting makes this film, fans of tension and well written characters will enjoy.
Review by Peter ‘Witchfinder‘ Hopkins